Fred N. Spiess, 86; Led Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Fred N. Spiess, 86, a scientist, inventor and former head of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, died Sept. 8 of cancer at UC San Diego’s Thornton Hospital in La Jolla.
Spiess was acting director of Scripps in 1962-63 and director for the 1964-65 academic year. He then served as associate director until 1980. From 1980 to 1988, he was director of UC’s Institute of Marine Resources, headquartered at UC San Diego.
Along with Fred Fisher and Phillip Rudnick, Spiess designed FLIP, a 355-foot-long floating instrument platform.
Born in Oakland, Spiess earned his undergraduate degree from UC Berkeley and a master’s degree from Harvard University. He returned to Berkeley for a doctorate in physics.
He served in the Navy during World War II and was stationed on a submarine in the Pacific. He completed 13 patrols and was awarded the Silver Star and the Bronze Star. He left the service with the rank of captain but remained in the U.S. Naval Reserve.
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